WOBURN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Following up on the 2012 research, Monotype Imaging Holdings Inc.
(Nasdaq: TYPE) today announced that together with the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT) AgeLab, they have developed a new,
streamlined methodology for testing the legibility of typefaces on
screens under glance-like conditions. Their new
study correlates with the results of the previous research but uses
an adapted Stimulus Onset Asynchrony (SOA) methodology to create a more
flexible, cost- and time-effective way for designers to test specific
typeface legibility under glance-like behavior – and help OEMs such as
automotive manufacturers and HMI designers select a legible typeface for
in-vehicle displays. The results of the new tests found that on average,
a humanist (Frutiger®) typeface could be read accurately in shorter (8.8
percent) exposure times than a square grotesque (Eurostile®) typeface –
which was broadly consistent with the legibility benefit for Frutiger as
seen in the previous study.

SOA is a psychophysical method that was adapted by the research team to
investigate subtle aesthetic properties of typographic and graphic
design by employing a relatively pure measurement of legibility. It
focuses on the typographic variables affecting legibility and using a
standard desktop computer rather than a driving simulator, reduces the
complexity, administration time, and data reduction and analysis costs
required to study various ways in which typographic information is
displayed.

“The new study highlights that basic psychophysics research tools can be
practically utilized to help designers and engineers balance the subtle
tradeoffs between typography and interface characteristics, while
seeking to optimize the demands placed on the driver,” said Bryan
Reimer, research scientist at MIT AgeLab and one of the principle
researchers of the project. “With the advancing use of digital displays
in vehicles, efforts to objectively evaluate legibility and different
interface characteristics may help automakers better meet governmental
distraction guidelines, while providing the driver with an enjoyable
experience from the showroom to the road.”

The latest research tested participants on a lexical decision task, to
find the minimal time needed to recognize whether or not a string of
letters was a word (as opposed to a nonsense string). The researchers
hypothesized that a more legible typeface would require less time for
correct recognition. The methodology enforced glance-like behavior,
paralleling occlusion test methods commonly used in the driving research
field. The results of the SOA methodology have led researchers to
believe that with extraneous behavioral factors removed, such as
differences in allocating attention while driving, the legibility
benefits of the humanist typeface are now more clearly evident than in
the earlier research.

The research team also applied the methodology among participants in a
subsequent study to investigate the legibility of typefaces in
glance-like contexts among five Simplified Chinese typefaces that are
used in various late-model car navigation and automotive HMIs. The most
legible typeface in that study could be read accurately in shorter (33.1
percent) exposure times than the least legible typeface – demonstrating
that the methodology may work across multiple languages, a critical
component to automotive interface designers.

“While more work needs to be done, we believe the SOA approach could be
further adapted to investigate a wide range of questions relevant to
typographic and graphic design in automotive HMI designs. This research
can be easily expanded to other languages and scripts as we did in the
Chinese study,” said Monotype’s Dr. Nadine Chahine, a legibility
specialist and an award-winning typeface designer and one of the
report’s co-authors and principle researchers of the project. “Our
findings also suggest that the methodology could be suitable for various
glance-based reading environments, not only for automotive displays but
also for medical apparatus, smartphones and other devices.”

The optimization of intrinsic and extrinsic features of type and the
graphic design in which the text is presented, according to the
researchers, may help reduce the demand on drivers when glancing at
interfaces, making it easier for automotive manufacturers and suppliers
to meet new governmental guidelines (National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, 2013).

Full results of the latest legibility studies are available as MIT
AgeLab white papers for both the English and Chinese studies.
Additionally, portions of the studies will be presented by Chahine at
the Car HMI Concepts and Systems conference in Berlin, Germany, June
26-27, 2014, where Chahine is scheduled to speak.

About Monotype

Monotype is a leading global provider of typefaces, technology and
expertise that enable the best user experience and ensure brand
integrity. Headquartered in Woburn, Mass., Monotype provides customers
worldwide with typeface solutions for a broad range of creative
applications and consumer devices. The company’s libraries and
e-commerce sites are home to many of the most widely used typefaces –
including the Helvetica®,
Frutiger
and Univers®
families – as well as the next generation of type designs. Further
information is available at www.monotype.com.
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